Traditional Homemade Vietnamese Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)

Made with shredded parboiled chicken and fresh pho noodles, this authentic Vietnamese pho ga recipe (Vietnamese chicken pho) proves you can make delicious and deeply flavorful pho at home! This is not a quick recipe, but the extra effort and stovetop simmering time is 100% worth it. However, if you need something quicker, you can make this recipe in 1.5 hours or less. See recipe below for more details!

I was inspired to create this recipe after I went to this spot in SF called OTD. Normally, I don’t order chicken pho or pho ga because I think it’s far inferior to its beef counterpart. But watching the kitchen plate each bowl of chicken pho made my mouth water, so I thought why not. When I had my first bite, it was literally one of the most amazing chicken noodle soups I’ve had. The broth was flavorful and just the right balance of salty and sweet. The noodles were tender and were topped simply with chicken, green onions, cilantro, and fried shallots. This authentic Vietnamese recipe for chicken pho aims to recreate that feeling I had when I had that bowl of pho.

Super delicious and another recipe option for pho ga….
Definitely another one of my family favorite recipe from Becca….Thank You

Tetty

The difference between my beef and chicken pho recipe

The obvious difference between the two types of pho are the use of chicken vs beef to make the broth. I find that the use of chicken creates for a lighter, less rich broth than beef. The other differences are the herbs used and the addition of dried scallops in chicken pho or pho ga. In homemade beef pho or pho bo, I used a combination of coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, and cinnamon, but in chicken pho, I used only coriander seeds and fennel seeds. The reason for the switch up is I didn’t feel the star anise and cinnamon would pair well with the lighter flavor of chicken.

I added dried scallops because my mom told me to lol. She said that dried scallops added a subtle sweetness to the broth. After tasting the pho for myself, I agree with her! Dried scallops are however quite expensive ($20 for a small bag) and hard to find in cities without an Asian community, so I made it optional.

Some details about key ingredients

1. Chicken – You can use any cut of chicken for this recipe. I used the cornish game hen from Trader Joe’s. It is small enough to make just enough soup for me. I have also used chicken thighs and chicken breast to make the broth. I would recommend using chicken meat with bones because the bones help create a richer, more flavorful broth.
2. Chicken broth – I highly recommend low sodium chicken broth for this recipe because it controls how salty your broth is. I tested regular and low sodium chicken broth and found that low sodium yielded better results.
3. Dried scallops (optional) – This ingredient was a suggestion from my mom, but is one I highly recommend. I’ve made this chicken pho without scallops, and the flavor of the broth is not quite as great without the scallops. Dried scallops are actually quite expensive and not readily accessible in most areas. You can find them at Asian herbal stores or Asian supermarkets.
4. Fresh pho noodles – I am a huge believer in fresh pho noodles if you can find them. I grew up mostly having dried noodles, but once I switched over to fresh pho noodles, I never went back. Fresh noodles have a more tender texture, and they take on the flavor of the broth much better than dry noodles.
5. Fried shallots – This my own personal favorite topping. I buy a jar of fried shallots from the store because it’s easier than frying my own shallots. You can find fried shallots on Amazon or at Asian grocery stores. If you can’t find fried shallots, you have the option to fry up a batch at home.

Best chicken for pho

I would recommend using whatever chicken you can find for the broth. Make sure to get chicken with some bone in it. I would not recommend using only chicken breast. The bones are what gives the broth its rich flavor.

The importance of parboiling your chicken

It’s important to clean your chicken before you start making your broth. To do this, add the chicken to a soup pot. Cover with water until it just covers the chicken. Bring the water a boil. After the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and remove the chicken. Throw away the water. All the bad stuff will go with that water, and now you can make the soup!

Best noodles for pho

The best noodles for pho are thin, rice noodles. I prefer to use fresh noodles for the best flavor and texture, but oftentimes, you won’t be able to find them. That’s where dried noodles come in. You can find them at most large Asian grocery stores. If you can’t find thin, rice noodles, I would recommend getting whichever rice noodles you can find. I have seen flat rice noodles, similar to the ones you use for beef chow fun, used for pho. If you’re interested in a similar chicken noodle soup but with glass noodles, check out my Mien Ga recipe!

The importance of keeping your broth on a low simmer

Once you begin simmering your broth, make sure the broth doesn’t reach a point where it starts boiling again. If the broth boils too much, it will result in a cloudy broth.

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